The University of Colorado School of Dentistry (SOD) is a regional school with the potential for excellence in oral health research. In the past five years, SOD has improved its standing in terms of MDCR research funding from 48th-21st. It has obtained a construction grant from the NCRR to complete state-of-the-art laboratories at the new Fitzsimons Campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and an NIDCR R24 award to develop its Infrastructure Enhancement Plan (IEP). The school has successfully recruited new research faculty, thereby expanding its research focus and collaborations. OBJECTIVES: SOD now seeks NIDCR funds to support the implementation of an IEP designed to enhance its research capacity and competitiveness. Part I describes the process by which we undertook an assessment of critical needs. As a result of this self study, we have identified three programmatic areas for which a critical mass of scientific investigators and collaborative partnerships will be created to add depth and breadth to the research endeavors of the school. These areas include: Craniofacial Developmental Biology, Biomaterials/Bioengineering, and Head and Neck Cancer. We are also committed to improving research training of undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students. Our long-term objective is the establishment of a regional Comprehensive Center for Oral Health within SOD. In Part H we describe our Infrastructure Improvement Plan by which we intend to recruit new faculty to the identified programmatic areas, and increase our students' interest in pursuing careers in oral health research. Members of our Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) and External Scientific and Program Advisory Committee (ESPAC) are identified. In Part HI, we describe the methods by which the recruitment of new faculty and training of students will precede. In Part IV we list Letters of Commitment for space and tenure, as well as Letters of Support from our ESP AC to assist us with the implementation of our plan. [unreadable] [unreadable]